Week 64: How To Be a Consultant- #AlphaFemaleFriday

Dr. Consultant, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Questions. Entrepreneur and consultant are two of the most vague business titles, and that’s not a jab at those who call themselves entrepreneurs and consultants so much as a respectful nod to those who may what to call themselves one of the former but may not have the confidence to do so. We have all been entrepreneurs and consultants at one point in our lives, even if we do not call ourselves by those titles. If you have ever had an idea, called it your own, and acted upon it, you are an entrepreneur. If someone has ever sought your advice, you gave it, and they acted upon it, you are a consultant.

This week, I’ve been thinking about what it means to be a consultant. I was staring at an endless pile of e-mails—you know the feeling, you take care of five and twenty more come in. My head is in my hands, and while half of those e-mails were matters I actually had to action, the other half was just people asking me questions. They were a mix of people who I worked closely with on a daily basis, and others who had just begun to know me and had only a surface idea of what I did and what I could offer. It made me wonder: why me? Please, no, no more questions!

I strongly believe you can do it all. You just cannot do it all at once. When I was being bombarded with array of questions, I realized it’s because not only am I typically quick to answer, I am also likely to say, “I don’t have that answer for you right now, but I can find out for you or find someone who may know that answer.”

I love to help people, but I also know that if I really want to help but, I must help them learn how to help themselves. Whenever I begin to feel overwhelmed, I remember to take a step back and take a moment to take care of myself first. You cannot be a source of knowledge or assistance to others if you cannot even be that for yourself.

Cheers,

Kelly

@AlphaFemSociety tweets by @KellyRGonzales

About:

Each week, I take a tip from Lois P. Frankel’s book, Nice Girls Still Don’t Get the Corner Office, and explore how each of these tips affect myself and other women in similar positions on the road to becoming the women we want to be. There are far and few between who are a few steps behind me, and many more who are far advanced. I found that Lois P. Frankel’s advice applied to novice, intermediates, and experts alike. It helped me see that I was already doing right, served as a reminder to keep on doing what I was doing and how to keep that momentum going. The book also showed me areas where I could improve, and gave realistic tips to jump on board. There are a total of 133 tips, and explore one tip per week in a program I call: 133 Weeks to Success.

Join the movement using the hashtag #133WeeksToSuccess with posts which are posted every #AlphaFemaleFriday.